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At least 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

THREE-DIMENSIONAL ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION MODELS OF HD 189733b AND HD 209458b WITH CONSISTENT MAGNETIC DRAG AND OHMIC DISSIPATION

We present the first three-dimensional circulation models for extrasolar gas giant atmospheres with geometrically and energetically consistent treatments of magnetic drag and ohmic dissipation. Atmospheric resistivities are continuously updated and calculated directly from the flow structure, strongly coupling the magnetic effects with the circulation pattern. We model the hot Jupiters HD 189733b (T {sub eq} Almost-Equal-To 1200 K) and HD 209458b (T {sub eq} Almost-Equal-To 1500 K) and test planetary magnetic field strengths from 0 to 30 G. We find that even at B = 3 G the atmospheric structure and circulation of HD 209458b are strongly influenced by magnetic effects, while the cooler HD 189733b remains largely unaffected, even in the case of B = 30 G and super-solar metallicities. Our models of HD 209458b indicate that magnetic effects can substantially slow down atmospheric winds, change circulation and temperature patterns, and alter observable properties. These models establish that longitudinal and latitudinal hot spot offsets, day-night flux contrasts, and planetary radius inflation are interrelated diagnostics of the magnetic induction process occurring in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters and other similarly forced exoplanets. Most of the ohmic heating occurs high in the atmosphere and on the dayside of the planet, while the heating at depth is strongly dependent on the internal heat flux assumed for the planet, with more heating when the deep atmosphere is hot. We compare the ohmic power at depth in our models, and estimates of the ohmic dissipation in the bulk interior (from general scaling laws), to evolutionary models that constrain the amount of heating necessary to explain the inflated radius of HD 209458b. Our results suggest that deep ohmic heating can successfully inflate the radius of HD 209458b for planetary magnetic field strengths of B {>=} 3-10 G.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CORONAL ALFVEN SPEED DETERMINATION: CONSISTENCY BETWEEN SEISMOLOGY USING AIA/SDO TRANSVERSE LOOP OSCILLATIONS AND MAGNETIC EXTRAPOLATION

Two transversely oscillating coronal loops are investigated in detail during a flare on the 2011 September 6 using data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We compare two independent methods to determine the Alfven speed inside these loops. Through the period of oscillation and loop length, information about the Alfven speed inside each loop is deduced seismologically. This is compared with the Alfven speed profiles deduced from magnetic extrapolation and spectral methods using AIA bandpass. We find that for both loops the two methods are consistent. Also, we find that the average Alfven speed based on loop travel time is not necessarily a good measure to compare with the seismological result, which explains earlier reported discrepancies. Instead, the effect of density and magnetic stratification on the wave mode has to be taken into account. We discuss the implications of combining seismological, extrapolation, and spectral methods in deducing the physical properties of coronal loops.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

SELF-CONSISTENT ION CYCLOTRON ANISOTROPY-BETA RELATION FOR SOLAR WIND PROTONS

We derive a set of self-consistent marginally stable states for a system of ion-cyclotron waves propagating parallel to the large-scale magnetic field through a homogeneous proton-electron plasma. The proton distributions and the wave dispersions are related through the condition that no further ion-cyclotron resonant particle scattering or wave growth/damping may take place. The thermal anisotropy of the protons in these states therefore defines the threshold value for triggering the proton-cyclotron anisotropy instability. A number of recent papers have noted that the anisotropy of solar wind protons at 1 AU does not seem to be limited by the proton-cyclotron anisotropy threshold, even at low plasma beta. However, this puzzle seems to be due solely to the estimation of this anisotropy threshold under the assumption that the protons have a bi-Maxwellian distribution. We note that bi-Maxwellian distributions are never marginally stable to the resonant cyclotron interaction, so these estimates do not represent physically valid thresholds. The threshold anisotropies obtained from our marginally stable states are much larger, as a function of proton parallel beta, than the bi-Maxwellian estimates, and we show that the measured data remains below these more rigorous thresholds. Thus, the results of this paper resolve the apparent contradiction presented by the solar wind anisotropy observations at 1 AU: the bi-Maxwellian anisotropies are not rigorous thresholds, and so do not limit the proton distributions in the solar wind.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

What asteroseismology can do for exoplanets: Kepler-410A b is a small Neptune around a bright star, in an eccentric orbit consistent with low obliquity

We confirm the Kepler planet candidate Kepler-410A b (KOI-42b) as a Neptune-sized exoplanet on a 17.8 day, eccentric orbit around the bright (K {sub p} = 9.4) star Kepler-410A (KOI-42A). This is the third brightest confirmed planet host star in the Kepler field and one of the brightest hosts of all currently known transiting exoplanets. Kepler-410 consists of a blend between the fast rotating planet host star (Kepler-410A) and a fainter star (Kepler-410B), which has complicated the confirmation of the planetary candidate. Employing asteroseismology, using constraints from the transit light curve, adaptive optics and speckle images, and Spitzer transit observations, we demonstrate that the candidate can only be an exoplanet orbiting Kepler-410A. We determine via asteroseismology the following stellar and planetary parameters with high precision; M {sub *} = 1.214 ± 0.033 M {sub ☉}, R {sub *} = 1.352 ± 0.010 R {sub ☉}, age =2.76 ± 0.54 Gyr, planetary radius (2.838 ± 0.054 R {sub ⊕}), and orbital eccentricity (0.17{sub −0.06}{sup +0.07}). In addition, rotational splitting of the pulsation modes allows for a measurement of Kepler-410A's inclination and rotation rate. Our measurement of an inclination of 82.5{sub −2.5}{sup +7.5} [°] indicates a low obliquity in this system. Transit timing variations indicate the presence of at least one additional (non-transiting) planet (Kepler-410A c) in the system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A magnetohydrodynamic model of the M87 jet. II. Self-consistent quad-shock jet model for optical relativistic motions and particle acceleration

We describe a new paradigm for understanding both relativistic motions and particle acceleration in the M87 jet: a magnetically dominated relativistic flow that naturally produces four relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks (forward/reverse fast and slow modes). We apply this model to a set of optical super- and subluminal motions discovered by Biretta and coworkers with the Hubble Space Telescope during 1994-1998. The model concept consists of ejection of a single relativistic Poynting jet, which possesses a coherent helical (poloidal + toroidal) magnetic component, at the remarkably flaring point HST-1. We are able to reproduce quantitatively proper motions of components seen in the optical observations of HST-1 with the same model we used previously to describe similar features in radio very long baseline interferometry observations in 2005-2006. This indicates that the quad relativistic MHD shock model can be applied generally to recurring pairs of super/subluminal knots ejected from the upstream edge of the HST-1 complex as observed from radio to optical wavelengths, with forward/reverse fast-mode MHD shocks then responsible for observed moving features. Moreover, we identify such intrinsic properties as the shock compression ratio, degree of magnetization, and magnetic obliquity and show that they are suitable to mediate diffusive shock acceleration of relativistic particles via the first-order Fermi process. We suggest that relativistic MHD shocks in Poynting-flux-dominated helical jets may play a role in explaining observed emission and proper motions in many active galactic nuclei.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Time evolution of a viscous protoplanetary disk with a free geometry: Toward a more self-consistent picture

Observations of protoplanetary disks show that some characteristics seem recurrent, even in star formation regions that are physically distant such as surface mass density profiles varying as r {sup –1} or aspect ratios of about 0.03-0.23. Accretion rates are also recurrently found around 10{sup –8}-10{sup –6} M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} for disks that have already evolved. Several models have been developed in order to recover these properties. However, most of them usually simplify the disk geometry if not its mid-plane temperature. This has major consequences for modeling the disk evolution over millions of years and consequently planet migration. In the present paper, we develop a viscous evolution hydrodynamical numerical code that simultaneously determines the disk photosphere geometry and the mid-plane temperature. We then compare our results of long-term simulations with similar simulations of disks with a constrained geometry along the Chiang and Goldreich prescription (d lnH/d lnr = 9/7). We find that the constrained geometry models provide a good approximation of the disk surface density evolution. However, they differ significantly regarding the temperature-time evolution. In addition, we find that shadowed regions naturally appear at the transition between viscously dominated and radiation-dominated regions that falls in the region of planetary formation. We show that χ (photosphere height to pressure scale height ratio) cannot be considered a constant, which is consistent with the findings of Watanabe and Lin. Comparisons with observations show that all disks naturally evolve toward a shallow surface density disk (Σ∝r {sup –1}). The mass flux across the disk typically stabilizes in about 1 Myr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A stochastically forced time delay solar dynamo model: Self-consistent recovery from a maunder-like grand minimum necessitates a mean-field alpha effect

Fluctuations in the Sun's magnetic activity, including episodes of grand minima such as the Maunder minimum have important consequences for space and planetary environments. However, the underlying dynamics of such extreme fluctuations remain ill-understood. Here, we use a novel mathematical model based on stochastically forced, non-linear delay differential equations to study solar cycle fluctuations in which time delays capture the physics of magnetic flux transport between spatially segregated dynamo source regions in the solar interior. Using this model, we explicitly demonstrate that the Babcock-Leighton poloidal field source based on dispersal of tilted bipolar sunspot flux, alone, cannot recover the sunspot cycle from a grand minimum. We find that an additional poloidal field source effective on weak fields—e.g., the mean-field α effect driven by helical turbulence—is necessary for self-consistent recovery of the sunspot cycle from grand minima episodes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Consistent use of type Ia supernovae highly magnified by galaxy clusters to constrain the cosmological parameters

We discuss how Type Ia supernovae (SNe) strongly magnified by foreground galaxy clusters should be self-consistently treated when used in samples fitted for the cosmological parameters. While the cluster lens magnification of a SN can be well constrained from sets of multiple images of various background galaxies with measured redshifts, its value is typically dependent on the fiducial set of cosmological parameters used to construct the mass model. In such cases, one should not naively demagnify the observed SN luminosity by the model magnification into the expected Hubble diagram, which would create a bias, but instead take into account the cosmological parameters a priori chosen to construct the mass model. We quantify the effect and find that a systematic error of typically a few percent, up to a few dozen percent per magnified SN may be propagated onto a cosmological parameter fit unless the cosmology assumed for the mass model is taken into account (the bias can be even larger if the SN is lying very near the critical curves). We also simulate how such a bias propagates onto the cosmological parameter fit using the Union2.1 sample supplemented with strongly magnified SNe. The resulting bias on the deduced cosmological parameters is generally at the few percent level, if only few biased SNe are included, and increases with the number of lensed SNe and their redshift. Samples containing magnified Type Ia SNe, e.g., from ongoing cluster surveys, should readily account for this possible bias.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ion pre-acceleration in fully self-consistent particle-in-cell simulations of supercritical perpendicular reforming shocks in multiple ion species plasmas

Supernova remnant and heliopause termination shock plasmas may contain significant populations of minority heavy ions, with relative number densities n{sub α}/n{sub i} up to 50%. Preliminary kinetic simulations of collisionless shocks in these environments showed that the reformation cycle and acceleration mechanisms at quasi-perpendicular shocks can depend on the value of n{sub α}/n{sub i} . Shock reformation unfolds on ion spatio-temporal scales, requiring fully kinetic simulations of particle dynamics, together with the self-consistent electric and magnetic fields. This paper presents the first set of particle-in-cell simulations for two ion species, protons (n{sub p} ) and α-particles (n{sub α}), with differing mass and charge-to-mass ratios, that spans the entire range of n{sub α}/n{sub i} from 0% to 100%. The interplay between the differing gyro length scales and timescales of the ion species is crucial to the time-evolving phenomenology of the shocks, the downstream turbulence, and the particle acceleration at different n{sub α}/n{sub i} . We show how the overall energization changes with n{sub α}/n{sub i} , and relate this to the processes individual ions undergo in the shock region and in the downstream turbulence, and to the power spectra of magnetic field fluctuations. The crossover between shocks dominated by the respective ion species happens when n{sub α}/n{sub i} = 25%, and minority ion energization is strongest in this regime. Energization of the majority ion species scales with injection energy. The power spectrum of the downstream turbulence includes peaks at sequential ion cyclotron harmonics, suggestive of ion ring-beam collective instability.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The age and age spread of the Praesepe and Hyades clusters: A consistent, ∼800 Myr picture from rotating stellar models

We fit the upper main sequence of the Praesepe and Hyades open clusters using stellar models with and without rotation. When neglecting rotation, we find that no single isochrone can fit the entire upper main sequence at the clusters’ spectroscopic metallicity: more massive stars appear, at high significance, to be younger than less massive stars. This discrepancy is consistent with earlier studies, but vanishes when including stellar rotation. The entire upper main sequence of both clusters is very well-fit by a distribution of 800 Myr old stars with the spectroscopically measured [Fe/H] = 0.12. The increase over the consensus age of ∼600–650 Myr is due both to the revised solar metallicity (from Z{sub ⊙}≈0.02 to Z{sub ⊙}≈0.014) and to the lengthening of main-sequence lifetimes and increase in luminosities with rapid rotation. Our results show that rotation can remove the need for large age spreads in intermediate-age clusters, and that these clusters may be significantly older than is commonly accepted. A Hyades/Praesepe age of ∼800 Myr would also require a recalibration of rotation/activity age indicators.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Self-consistent modeling of electrochemical strain microscopy of solid electrolytes

Electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) employs a strong electromechanical coupling in solid ionic conductors to map ionic transport and electrochemical processes with nanometer-scale spatial resolution. To elucidate the mechanisms of the ESM image formation, we performed self-consistent numerical modeling of the electromechanical response in solid electrolytes under the probe tip in a linear, small-signal regime using the Boltzmann–Planck–Nernst–Einstein theory and Vegard's law while taking account of the electromigration and diffusion. We identified the characteristic time scales involved in the formation of the ESM response and found that the dynamics of the charge carriers in the tip-electrolyte system with blocking interfaces can be described as charging of the diffuse layer at the tip-electrolyte interface through the tip contact spreading resistance. At the high frequencies used in the detection regime, the distribution of the charge carriers under the tip is governed by evanescent concentration waves generated at the tip-electrolyte interface. The ion drift length in the electric field produced by the tip determines the ESM response at high frequencies, which follows a 1/f asymptotic law. The electronic conductivity, as well as the electron transport through the electrode-electrolyte interface, do not have a significant effect on the ESM signal in the detection regime. The results indicate, however, that for typical solid electrolytes at room temperature, the ESM response originates at and contains information about the very surface layer of a sample, and the properties of the one-unit-cell-thick surface layer may significantly contribute to the ESM response, implying a high surface sensitivity and a high lateral resolution of the technique. On the other hand, it follows that a rigorous analysis of the ESM signals requires techniques that account for the discrete nature of a solid.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Ground state properties of 3d metals from self-consistent GW approach

The self consistent GW approach (scGW) has been applied to calculate the ground state properties (equilibrium Wigner–Seitz radius S WZ and bulk modulus B) of 3d transition metals Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu. The approach systematically underestimates S WZ with average relative deviation from the experimental data of about 1% and it overestimates the calculated bulk modulus with relative error of about 25%. We show that scGW is superior in accuracy as compared to the local density approximation but it is less accurate than the generalized gradient approach for the materials studied. If compared to the random phase approximation, scGW is slightly less accurate, but its error for 3d metals looks more systematic. Lastly, the systematic nature of the deviation from the experimental data suggests that the next order of the perturbation theory should allow one to reduce the error.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Optimized quasisymmetric stellarators are consistent with the Garren–Boozer construction

The majority of quasisymmetric stellarators to date have been designed by numerically optimizing the plasma boundary shape to minimize symmetry-breaking Fourier modes of the magnetic field strength B. At high aspect ratio, a faster approach is to directly construct the plasma shape from the equations of quasisymmetry near the magnetic axis derived by Garren and Boozer [Phys Fluids B 3, 2805 (1991)]. Here we demonstrate that the core shape and rotational transform of many optimization-based configurations can be accurately described by this direct-construction approach. This consistency supports use of the near-axis construction as an accurate analytical model for modern stellarator configurations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Self-consistent simulation of resistive kink instabilities with runaway electrons

A new fluid model for runaway electron simulation based on fluid description is introduced and implemented in the magnetohydrodynamics code M3D-C1, which includes self-consistent interactions between plasma and runaway electrons. The model utilizes the method of characteristics to solve the continuity equation for the runaway electron density with large convection speed, and uses a modified Boris algorithm for pseudo particle pushing. The model was employed to simulate magnetohydrodynamics instabilities happening in a runaway electron final loss event in the DIII-D tokamak. Nonlinear simulation reveals that a large fraction of runaway electrons get lost to the wall when kink instabilities are excited and form stochastic field lines in the outer region of the plasma. Plasma current converts from runaway electron current to Ohmic current, and get pinched at the magnetic axis. Here, given the good agreement with experiment, the simulation model provides a reliable tool to study macroscopic plasma instabilities in existence of runaway electron current, and can be used to support future studies of runaway electron mitigation strategies in ITER.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

A self-consistent hybrid model of kinetic striations in low-current argon discharges

A self-consistent hybrid model of standing and moving striations was developed for low-current DC discharges in noble gases. We introduced the concept of surface diffusion in phase space ( r , u ) (where u denotes the electron kinetic energy) described by a tensor diffusion in the nonlocal Fokker–Planck kinetic equation for electrons in the collisional plasma. Electrons diffuse along surfaces of constant total energy ε = u - eφ ( r ) between energy jumps in inelastic collisions with atoms. Numerical solutions of the 1d1u kinetic equation for electrons were obtained by two methods and coupled to ion transport and Poisson solver. We studied the dynamics of striation formation in Townsend and glow discharges in argon gas at low discharge currents using a two-level excitation-ionization model and a ‘full-chemistry’ model, which includes stepwise and Penning ionization. Standing striations appeared in Townsend and glow discharges at low currents, and moving striations were obtained for the discharge currents exceeding a critical value. These waves originate at the anode and propagate towards the cathode. We have seen two types of moving striations with the two-level and full-chemistry models, which resemble the s and p striations previously observed in the experiments. Simulations indicate that processes in the anode region could control moving striations in the positive column plasma. The developed model helps clarify the nature of standing and moving striations in DC discharges of noble gases at low discharge currents and low gas pressures.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2020

On the character of turbulent-like flows in self-consistent models of core-collapse supernovae

Neutrino-driven convection plays a crucial role in the development of core-collapse supernova (CCSN) explosions. However, the complex mechanism that triggers the shock revival and the subsequent explosion has remained inscrutable for many decades. Multidimensional simulations suggest that the growth of fluid instabilities, especially development of convection, will determine the morphology of the explosion. We have performed 3D simulations using spherical-polar coordinates covering a reduced angular extent (90° computational domain), and with angular resolutions of 2°, 1°, 1/2°, and 1/4°, to study the development of turbulent-like flows in core-collapse supernova explosions on a time scale of order 100 ms. We have employed the multi-physics Chimera code that includes detailed nuclear physics and spectral neutrino transport. Coarse resolution models do not develop an inertial range, presumably due to the bottleneck effect, such that the energy is prevented from cascading down to small scales and tends to accumulate at large scales. High-resolution models instead, start to recover the k −5/3 scaling of Kolmogorov's theory. Stochasticity and few simulation samples limit our ability to predict the development of explosions. Over the simulated time period, our models show no clear trend in improving (or diminishing) conditions for explosion as the angular resolution is increased. However, we find that disordered flow provides an effective pressure, as characterized by the Reynolds stress, behind the shock. This contribution, ~40%–50% of the thermal pressure, aids shock revival and thus the development of the explosion. Finally, we show that the kinetic energy power spectrum of reduced angular extent and full 4π models are consistent, thus indicating that a 90° computational domain is an adequate configuration to study the character of turbulence in CCSNe.

Casanova Bustamante, Jordi↗
DOE OSTI2011

Consistency of relevant cosmological deformations on all scales

Using cosmological perturbation theory we show that the most relevant deformation of gravity is consistent at the linear level. In particular, we prove the absence of unitarity violating negative norm states in the weak coupling regime from sub- to super-Hubble scales. This demonstrates that the recently proposed classical self-protection mechanism of deformed gravity extends to the entire kinematical domain.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Consistency relation for multifield inflation scenario with all loop contributions

The consistency relation between non-linear parameters f{sub NL} and τ{sub NL} characterizing Non-Gaussianity generated in the super horizon scale have been emerged as a useful tool to rule out a large class of inflationary models all at once. In our previous work, we extended the Suyama-Yamaguchi inequality up to 1-loop corrections. In this paper, we further extend the inequality up to all loop corrections, and found that it takes the same expression with the original Suyama-Yamaguchi inequality, τ{sub NL} ≥ ((6/5)f{sub NL}){sup 2}, where the equality is not satisfied in the case of single field models any more.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗